BRH Cement Wagon

BRH Cement Hopper

BRH 29389 fitted with Snowy Mountains Scheme roof. SRA Archives

These hoppers were BCH/BWH’s fitted with two different types of roofs. The first 14 were ex BCH’s fitted with a specially designed specifically for the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the late 1950’s features a centre walkway with 3 hatches either side, plus access platforms on each end. Later BWH’s were allocated to cement traffic and recoded BRH without any modifications to the roof design.

76 wagons were coded BRH:

- 14 with Snowy Mountains Scheme modified roof - 28811, 28812, 29373, 29375, 29377, 29378, 29379, 29382, 29383, 29388, 29389, 29398, 29399, 29404. Wagons 28812, 29377, 29389 and 29399 became HRH type in the early 1960s, the remainder becoming FRH type during the mid-1970s

- 62 with standard ‘Wheat’ roof from their BWH days.

Length: Tare: Capacity: Gross: Equiv Length:

Bogies: BRH – 2BP HRH – 2CH

Coding:

- As introduced, BRH

- Recoded HRH when fitted with 2CH bogies,

- Recoded FRH when fitted with 2CF bogies,

- Recoded, NPBF after 1979

- Recoded, NGSA for those used in Superphosphate Traffic.

Colour Scheme:

- As introduced, they were painted in the standard NSWR Gunmetal grey livery with white lettering, handbrake and handrails.

- Later in life they appeared in SRA Red.

Similar Vehicles: BWH

Period of Service: 1953 to 1993.

Operation:

The BRH’s converted for the Snowy Mountains Scheme (SMS) operated a shuttle service between Berrima BCSC Cement Works and Polo Flat (Cooma). They were attached to both special SMS supply trains and general goods trains to return them to Berrima.

After completion of the SMS, they were pooled into the cement wagon fleet until generally superceded by the introduction of the PRX/PRY wagon in 1976. Afterwards, they operated as adhoc wagons for small consignments of cement to customers throughout the state.

A rake of 25, made up from a mix of SMS and ‘wheat’ roofed wagons were used on Berrima BCSC to Maldon BCSC Cement works Clinker shuttle trains until 1993. They worked as an additional rake to the NPEF Clinker wagons.

Plan: Outline Drawing SMS Roof Plan

Modelling:

- Hi-Rail produced HO scale RTR models of the SMS design roof in 2007,

- Hi-Rail also produced HO scale RTR models of BWH’s which could be recoded BRH.

- Gofer Models produced N scale RTR models of the BRH with BWH style roofs.

Preserved Examples:

- BRH 29228 is located at Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum.